Introduction: With the release of both eFx’s Precision Cast Replica and Hasbro’s Black Series helmet there’s been a lot of excitement for the 40th anniversary of the Empire Strikes Back. Boba Fett is arguably the most infamous character of the installment. With the help of Jaycepticon Scott Kaufmann and Fett 4 Real we wanted to take a second for a review. The eFx and Hasbro helmets are the first widely available licensed helmet that replicates the hero helmet we all see in The Empire Strikes Back. In 2007 Master Replicas released their Empire Strikes Back fiberglass helmet but was mistakenly replicating the 3rd pre-production helmet known as the PP3. The eFx and Hasbro are the first licensed helmets that replicate the actual helmet seen in The Empire Strikes Back. Since the helmets have been released there has been a lot of discussion on the accuracy of the helmets compared to what’s been available to the Fett and collectible community at large. Since both helmets are now in the hands of collectors and fans alike, it’s time to compare the most popular Boba Fett helmets! One of the most desirable helmets in the fan community has been the fiberglass kit FettPride Helmet 2 also known as the FPH2. This helmet can be purchased from multiple vendors but the examples discussed below are from Wasted Fett and painted by either superjedi (@the_real_superjedi) and Fett 4 Real (fett4reals_1313_stuidos) who are members on The Dented Helmet and can be found on Instagram as well.
We will be using a scoring scale of 1-5 with 1 being the worst and 5 being the highest.
Cast:
Sculpt damage:
Paint:
Accessories/Features:
Accuracy:
Value:
As a toy, this thing can’t be beat. It’s arguably the best item Hasbro has released besides the Vintage Collection Slave 1 and the Vintage Collection Jabba’s sail barge and other Black Series helmets. The button for the rangefinder is a nice touch for a toy and the realistic pads on the inside add to the role play of the toy. If I was a kid again, I’d be begging my parents. 5/5.
Overall: There is going to be a lot of debate about these helmets and there is no doubt that we’re spoiled with the options we have for Boba Fett helmets right now. The Hasbro Black Series and eFX are by far the best licensed options there is no doubt about that. eFx eclipses the Hasbro on many of the points we discussed above expect on price. Each helmet will have their niche market and that’s what it’s going to boil down to. FPH2 helmets are going to continue to be what purists want in their collection. It replicates the hero helmet material and allows for the most accurate paint applications. The eFx are going to target those who are prop collectors and want something on their high end display shelf. The Hasbro is going to be wonderful for those who are entering the collectible market, collectors who want “good enough” and for those who want something to take pictures with on Instagram.
Overall scores:
FPH2: 3.9/5
eFX: 4.2/5
Hasbro: As a Toy: 2.9/5
As a Prop: 2.1 / 5
The clear choice if you don’t want to paint a helmet kit, spend the extra money on accessories, and wait. The eFx edges off the FPH2 only because of its value right out of the box. In our honest opinion the best Fett helmet available is a FPH2 with those added on accessories and a paint-up from an experienced artist. Having all three let us take into consideration all aspects of the helmets. Once again, the Hasbro helmet is fantastic as a toy but shouldn’t be taken seriously as a prop replica.
Helmet stands by @tomspinadesgins
We will be using a scoring scale of 1-5 with 1 being the worst and 5 being the highest.
Cast:
- FPH2: The FPH2’s origins are unknown but the helmet clearly sculpted to replicate the hero helmet on screen. The casts are made from a gelcoat and fiberglass like the original helmets on set. The helmet has accurate physical damage sculpted in along with the accurate casio mq-10 calculator circuit board in the key slots in the back of the helmet. Once the helmet is prepped and ready for paint it’s a piece of work on it’s own. Due to the helmet being gelcoat and fiberglass it feels very durable and doesn’t have a flex to it like the other helmets. 4/5
- eFx: The eFx is casted from a mold taken from the actual Hero helmet seen on screen. The helmet is a precision cast replica which means it’s made out of plastic with the dome, back panels, and cheeks being held together with the seams behind the ears. The dent is sharp but the rest of the physical damage that is captured in the FPH2 has been sanitized. The helmet itself being plastic and being held together at two seam points behind the ears, the helmet doesn’t feel sturdy. It almost has a flex to it and you’d be afraid to drop it. The cast can be traced directly to the hero helmet but the plastic and the sanitized damage brings it down a notch. 3.5/5
- Hasbro: The Black Series helmet is 3D scanned from the Hero helmet but even with the lineage it has issues. All the physical damage has not only been sanitized but it’s actually gone. The size and shape are very close to the efx helmet as one would expect with some slight measurement differences in the visor, to help with vision, I’m sure. The helmet also has the same kind of seam lines and assembly as the efx and on the dome it’s less noticeable than the efx. The helmet isn’t as light as the FPH2 or eFx but it feels pretty solid. The ears have the biggest issue in the cast and along with the seams and lack of any damage besides the dent brings the score down as the lowest of the 3. 3/5
Sculpt damage:
Paint:
- FPH2: This will vary depending on the individual. In this scenario the painters have had years of unparalleled experience in painting Boba Fett helmets. The FPH2 helmets are painted in various techniques utilizing layered and topical paint applications. This is a time consuming process which takes weeks to months to finish an accurate paint up. After the paint is complete the helmet sees topical weathering and washes to bring the helmet to life. While the paint applications can be costly if you’re outsourcing the work, it allows for the most accurate paint possible. Fett 4 Real also painted the prototype for the eFx helmet which will be discussed below. 5/5
- eFx: The efx paint application is tampo with weathering applied after the fact. The paint application is accurate and by far the best available for a licensed helmet. Just because it’s the most accurate for a licensed collectible doesn’t mean it’s 100% accurate. The helmet is missing some detail around the gray areas on the dome, topical damage in the dent, incorrect alignment below the left year and the famous white fingerprint smudge on the kill stripes. The colors are fantastic and weathering on the helmet, stalk and rangefinders are accurate and accounted for. For the missing details on the helmet, which would have been an easy fix this scores a bit lower than one would expect. 3.5/5
- Hasbro: The Black Series helmet is also tampo like the efx. While at first glance the helmet looks almost blurry. When you get closer the helmet looks fairly accurate but it is missing details or creates damage that wasn’t on the hero. The back of the helmet and around the key slots are the biggest concerns. It also doesn’t have the white fingerprint smudge as well. Now the biggest issues are the damage isn’t applied in the correct areas and makes the damage appear to float on the helmet, which can be seen to varying degrees on the “cat” scratch. Application issues on the back panels see damage rise up and get printed on the wrong sections as well. The kill stripes depending on the helmet can be on the wrong area. The paint applications also feel bumpy in a few places as well which isn’t the cast on any of the other two helmets compared here. From 10ft away you can hardly tell the difference in paint applications but in hand the paint issues really stand out. Not only are there issues on the paint applications but the colors are a little too dark and almost too satin to be accurate. 2/5
Accessories/Features:
- FPH2: The FPH2 comes in kit form. It needs to be prepped, assembled and painted. The accessories including the ears, borden and range finder are resin and comes with a metal stalk and LEDs for the range finder. The kit can be upgraded to metal ears, functioning LED kit, a polaroid sx-70 land camera lens and casio mq-10 keyboard. That will increase the cost considerably but without those upgrades the kit builds a great replica. Both helmets used in this comparison have upgraded metal ears and an LED kit. 3/5
- eFx: This is where the eFx shines. The helmet comes with machined or at least metal cast ears which are accurate to the hero helmet and with a functioning led kit in the rangefinder when the range finger is moved down. The metal ears add a nice weight to the helmet as well. 5/5
- Hasbro: The ears being one of the worst sculpted pieces on the helmet hide the toyetic function. With the press of a button the rangefinder comes down and the LEDs blink. It’s a nice feature for a toy but makes the helmet less accurate and really stands out to show this isn’t a true prop replica. The one nice touch is a metal borden connector, though the quality of the metal isn’t as nice as its efx counterpart. The inside has padding that replicates what Boba Fett would have installed in the real universe of Star Wars. This score not only takes into account the features but also the accuray. 3.5/5
Accuracy:
- FPH2: The helmets being used in this review are both painted by the best in the painting game. Between the colors, topical and layered painting, weathering and washing the paint jobs themselves are the most accurate. The cast has the best replicated damage accurate to the hero helmet. The only issue with the accuracy is that the cast itself, like mentioned above don’t have a confirmed pediagre to the hero helmet in the archives. 4.5/5
- eFx: The cast is great but the sanitized damage truly takes away from the helmet. Having metal ears, metal borden, replica mq-10 circuit board and LEDs is an incredible value for the price. The missing paint and battle damage along with the seems keep this from being a 5 rating. This score was the hardest and it going to be a tie with the FPH2. 4/5
- Hasbro: While the shape of the helmet is fantastic, it suffers from the actual movie prop. No physical damage besides the dent, missing and floating paint, no mq-10 casio circuit board and features in the ears that make it inaccurate separates the props from the toys. 1/5
Value:
- FPH2: The FPH2 isn’t for ballers on a budget. A top notch FPH2 from Wasted Fett with metal ears from MachineCraft Replicas and a premium paint up from the likes of TheSuperJedi and Fett 4 real is going to give you the best possible replica. The value though for such a highly accurate replica will come with a steep price which is the only negative of these helmet. 3/5
- eFx: Right out of the box with metal ears, LEDs and the most accurate licensed paint up gives eFx the lead on value. For the retail price of $379 it’s value in uncomparable. 5/5
- Hasbro: I am going to break down the Hasbro helmet two ways. One as a prop replica and again as a toy.
As a toy, this thing can’t be beat. It’s arguably the best item Hasbro has released besides the Vintage Collection Slave 1 and the Vintage Collection Jabba’s sail barge and other Black Series helmets. The button for the rangefinder is a nice touch for a toy and the realistic pads on the inside add to the role play of the toy. If I was a kid again, I’d be begging my parents. 5/5.
Overall: There is going to be a lot of debate about these helmets and there is no doubt that we’re spoiled with the options we have for Boba Fett helmets right now. The Hasbro Black Series and eFX are by far the best licensed options there is no doubt about that. eFx eclipses the Hasbro on many of the points we discussed above expect on price. Each helmet will have their niche market and that’s what it’s going to boil down to. FPH2 helmets are going to continue to be what purists want in their collection. It replicates the hero helmet material and allows for the most accurate paint applications. The eFx are going to target those who are prop collectors and want something on their high end display shelf. The Hasbro is going to be wonderful for those who are entering the collectible market, collectors who want “good enough” and for those who want something to take pictures with on Instagram.
Overall scores:
FPH2: 3.9/5
eFX: 4.2/5
Hasbro: As a Toy: 2.9/5
As a Prop: 2.1 / 5
The clear choice if you don’t want to paint a helmet kit, spend the extra money on accessories, and wait. The eFx edges off the FPH2 only because of its value right out of the box. In our honest opinion the best Fett helmet available is a FPH2 with those added on accessories and a paint-up from an experienced artist. Having all three let us take into consideration all aspects of the helmets. Once again, the Hasbro helmet is fantastic as a toy but shouldn’t be taken seriously as a prop replica.
Helmet stands by @tomspinadesgins
